Peking man, Ming dynasty emperors, Chairman Mao and 17 million residents have made their mark on modern-day Beijing. A capital of exhilarating extremes with its glittering skyscrapers, mazy hutongs and enigmatic Forbidden City — nowhere is China’s rapid progress and rich imperial history more tangible.

Step past the huge Chairman Mao portrait guarding Tiananmen Square and back to an age of Ming dynasty emperors and tittering concubines roaming the mysterious Forbidden City — off limits to the public for 500 years. Local history comes alive in the atmospheric warren of hutongs, narrow alleys best explored by pedicab. Locals meet for early morning tai chi in front of the pagoda-like Temple of Heaven and quiet contemplation in the pavillions and manicured gardens of the lakeside Summer Palace